A Dance, a Game, and Revenge
by s.j. snodgrass
Summary: After Xmen 3: Mutant's powers are returning. Old enemies are resurfacing, new ones arriving. With rumors of Xavier alive, different parties scramble to find him. A game of revenge is ensuing. Why is Rogue so important, and who is this Remy and his friends
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So…

**A/N: So….This is the fic I promised the reviewers of Old Curses and Mardi Gras. It isn't a sequel, so if you are new to this story, you don't have to read my other story. I just hope you enjoy this one, (it'll be a little longer and darker than my last one) and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xmen. As much as I would like to. Or maybe just Gambit…Mmm….Ahem, um…it belongs to Marvel. **

**The tears were silent.** She could have wiped them away, but seeing as they had been falling for about ten minutes, she figured she might as well let them finish. She had to admit, she had been stupid. Foolish, really, to think that she could have peace at last. That maybe she had suffered enough. But no, she was cursed, and she would forever be doomed to this untouchable fate.

"Rogue?"

Rogue looked up, not bothering to straighten her rumpled appearance as Dr. Hank McCoy entered the infirmary where she had been sitting. She knew her eyes were bloodshot, her hair mussed, and her whole persona broken. But at this point, she didn't care. She'd had enough trying to look good for others. In the end, it never did any good.

"Yeah?" Her voice was emotionless, despite the crying. She actually found it kind of funny. At that moment, she didn't feel anything. However, the tears still slid down her pale cheeks. Damn, she thought, I could use a drink. Or a nap, not really sure which.

Dr. McCoy approached her, clipboard in hand. He pulled a chair up to Rogue's table, sitting across from her. He put his glasses back on and looked away from the exhausted teenager to his papers.

"First of all, let me just say that this wasn't your fault. You didn't know this could happen. No one knew. For all we knew, your powers were gone for good. And in a few days, he'll be fine. He's already awake." Dr. McCoy gave her a kind smile that she didn't have the energy to return. Instead, in that emotionless voice, she gave her opinion.

"That doesn't change the fact that Ah did it. Not knowing isn't an excuse, it's a copout. It was mah fault."

Dr. McCoy's eyebrows knitted together and his smile fell. "Rogue, you can't mean that. As I said, Bobby will be fine, we just ran some tests and-"

"Dr. McCoy, with all due respect, if that was all that you came here to say to me, Ah'm gonna go." Rogue said, cutting him off and jumping from the table she was sitting on.

"No, that wasn't all I was going to tell you. I was going to talk to you about your powers. Perhaps we can figure out the reason that they returned." Dr. McCoy said, getting up out of his chair and following Rogue across the room. Rogue paused, hand on the door and turned back to face him.

"Ah don't need science to tell me Ah'm cursed, Dr. McCoy. Ah guess I just wasn't meant to be normal." She whispered, and was gone. Dr. McCoy didn't even try to call after her.

"**Cut the crap and give us some real answers, Furball." **Logan said as he lit a cigar. The late Professor Charles Xavier's study was crowded with himself, Dr. McCoy, Kurt Wagner, and the Xavier Institute's new Headmistress, Ororo Munroe, or Storm.

"Logan." Storm warned, but her tone was lax. She turned to Dr. McCoy. "Hank, you said you wanted to talk to us about Rogue's powers. I hate to rush you, but I need to get the details quickly so I can contact the government. They need to know about her case."

Dr. McCoy gave her a said smile as he took off his reading glasses and leaned toward her from his place seated on the couch. "I don't think that the time I take to tell you about her powers would be long enough to take up much time, even if it mattered."

"What do you mean, if it mattered?" Storm's tone was no longer lax. In a split second it had take on the authorative nature with which she ran the institute.

"I mean..." Dr. McCoy sighed. There was no way around this. "I already called the President. He won't allow media coverage and he won't allow me to call in other scientists. At least, not yet."

For a moment, the whole room was silent. Logan bit down hard on his cigar, sending ash falling to the carpet. A low, predatory growl escaped him. Storm stared at Dr. McCoy, unable to believe her ears. She exchanged worried and confused looks with Kurt before Kurt broke the silence with his German accent.

"I don't understand. Vhy vould the government do nothing? This has the potential to a huge disaster. If Magneto or any of his followers were to regain their powers…" He trailed off, looking from one X-man to the next.

"Hey, you got no right talking about Magneto and his followers when you weren't even there, Bub." Logan growled, pointing his cigar at Kurt for emphasis. Kurt's eyes widened.

"You know I vas in Germany. Had anyvone contacted me, I vould have been here as soon as I could." Kurt said quietly.

"Well you wouldn't have been in Germany if you hadn't an away from here in the first place," Logan said tightly.

"I did not run avay! The life of an X-man did not appeal to me, thus I respectfully declined the Professor's offer to stay here. As it is, I am back because Storm called me and told me she needed my aid as a teacher. I did not know that I vas a black sheep!" Kurt had gotten down from his seat on the fireplace mantle.

"If you wanna start somethin', Blueboy…" Logan began to stride across the room to meet Kurt.

"Enough!" Storm stepped in between them, putting her hands on each of their chests. "Enough. This is not the time for us to be arguing amongst ourselves. We have to handle this. We've had a few months of relative peace, let's not let this issue ruin everything."

Logan and Kurt eyed each other, but Storm's presence settled the fight. Logan grunted and went back to his corner while Kurt apologized and leapt back up to his seat on the mantle. When Storm was sure they weren't about to tear each other's throats out again, (or, rather, Logan wasn't) she gestured for Dr. McCoy to continue.

He cleared his throat. "Well, to answer Mr. Wagner's question, the reason they will do nothing is because they believe this could be an isolated instance. They don't want to accept the face that their 'cure' didn't work. They are afraid to cause a disturbance in case Magneto, if he is unaware of his powers, hears of it. Also, even if Magneto has already learned of his powers, news like this could terrorize the public.

"Thus I understand their motives, however, their failure to realize this as a stage during which they should act, they decide to hide. Is our government really so full of so many cowards?"

His question wasn't directed to anyone in the room, rather it was just him thinking out loud, letting the other X-men in the room digest his information. Storm crossed her arms. "I can't help but think that if the Professor was here he would know what to do." She murmured, her voice wavering slightly.

Logan, watching her carefully, put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently, though subtly. However, Kurt watched the simple motion with surprising attention.

Storm shook her head to clear it and Logan dropped his hand, stepping back and facing his body slightly away from her. "Well that takes care of that for now, I suppose. Hank, I want to talk to you after this and see if we can come up with a way to warn people about this. For the time being, however, I believe this whole meeting came about because you had something to tell us about Rogue." Storm said.

"Ah, yes." Dr. McCoy started, putting his glasses back down and looking at the clipboard he had clutched in his blue furry hand. "As you know, Rogue's powers were not permanently suppressed as the 'cure' was meant to do. It seems they were only temporarily suppressed. I did some blood tests, and you'll be surprised to hear what I found. While the 'cure' did not work in the ways it was recorded to, what it did was alter Rogue's X-gene. Rogue's powers are uncontrollable. She touches someone and she absorbs their powers, thoughts, memories. But now that her genes have been altered, it seems that her powers may need a trigger now to work. For example, my hypothesis is that her powers can be triggered by emotions, such as passion or anger." He stopped while the new information soaked in.

Logan had looked up sharply, his eyebrows slightly knitted but his eyes widened. "So what you're saying is…" He trailed off, focused totally on Dr. McCoy.

"With some training, Rogue may be able to control her powers." Dr. McCoy finished.

The silence that descended was unearthly. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone's eyes were wide in shock.

Eventually, once the initial shock had past, it was Storm who spoke up. "Have you told her this yet?"

Dr. McCoy sighed. "No. I tried, but she is very upset by this recent accident. I don't think she's in any mood to hear that her powers may be controllable. Not at this time, anyway. Besides that, I want to run some more tests to see if my hypothesis is correct. The last thing I want to do is tell her about this and be wrong. It would crush her."

Storm understood, as did Logan and Kurt, but Logan was torn. "Are you sure we shouldn't at least tell her? Tell her she could control it? Maybe then she'll go along with the testing easier." He said.

"Logan, this is a delicate matter for her. Think about the consequences if I'm wrong. Just let her be for now. We need to know if her powers are controllable before we tell her." Dr. McCoy replied.

"Yeah, but we've all seen what happens when we neglect to tell people about their powers around here." Logan said, her voice edgy.

"If you're referring to Jean, Logan, this isn't the same thing." Storm said sharply. Logan spared her a glance, and shut his mouth to whatever else he was going to say.

"I'm out of here." He growled, yanking the nearby door open.

"Logan, just promise you won't tell Rogue about this." Dr. McCoy got to his feet.

Logan kept moving. "Logan promise me you won't tell her." Storm tried. Logan paused for the briefest moment, then he was gone.

"**Hey there." **Bobby's voice was slow and quiet, very breathy as Rogue entered the section of the infirmary he was being kept at. Looking at the IV in his arm, knowing it was only there because of her, twisted her heart.

She wanted to say she was sorry. She wanted to cry her eyes out. She wanted to throw herself on him and never let go. But seeing him like that, looking so fragile, she couldn't. Instead, she managed a feeble, "How ya feelin?"

He smiled. Or, rather, he tried to. All he managed was a small twitch at the corners of his mouth. "I kinda feel like I got hit with the Blackbird." Even hurt he was trying to joke.

"It was only a kiss." Rogue said quietly, averting her eyes as she sat down on the corner of his bed.

She heard him take a deep breath, and his fingers close around her newly gloved hand. "I know. It wasn't your fault."

"Don't say that." Rogue murmured, barely audible.

"When…I get out of here, we…can still find a way around it." Bobby breathed. His eyes were closed and for a while she just listened to him breathing, wishing more than ever that she could feel his hair in her bare fingers once again. His hold on her fingers was weakening, and she squeezed his hand back. She had come here for a specific reason, and if he fell asleep now, she didn't think she'd have the courage to do so later.

"Bobby Ah think…Ah think we should just forget about this. Us. Obviously it isn't going to work. Ah mean, Ah nearly kill you when Ah so much as kiss you. And Ah've seen the way you look at Kitty. You don't have to say anything, Ah understand. It would just be best for both of us, maybe more for me, if we just call this off. We can still be friends, its just.." Rogue couldn't think of anything to say. It had started as a flow of words she had rehearsed earlier that day, but now she had run out of words.

"Rogue…" Bobby was nearly inaudible. "I don't think this is better but…If that's the way you see it…"

Her eyes stung with tears as she smiled and squeezed his fingers. "Thank you Bobby. I'm sorry." But her words fell on deaf ears. He was already asleep. A single tear slipped down her cheek, and she put her hand on Bobby's head, kissing the back of her hand.

"**So…what? You just broke up with him?"** Rogue was back in her room, Kitty and Jubilee having followed her in for a 'chat' about her recent problems.

"Yeah, we did. Ah just couldn't stand not being able to… you know…satisfy him. It was really frustratin'." Rogue replied.

Jubilee put a hand on her knee. "I'm sorry. If its any consolation, my last boyfriend broke up with me when he found out I was a mutant. At least Bobby tried to work around your mutation."

Rogue gave her a small smile. "Yeah" Kitty said. "And I hope you're telling us the truth, 'cause if he broke up with you because of your powers, we'd have a serious talk with him." She made a gesture of slamming a fist into her palm, and Rogue laughed despite herself.

"He likes you, you know." Rogue offered to Kitty. Kitty's eyes widened and Jubilee stiffened. "He does?" Kitty asked.

Jubilee's palm hit her face. "Are you kidding me? Are you blind?"

Kitty just still looked blank, and Rogue laughed again. "She's just too busy watching Piotr carry TV's across the mansion." She said.

It was Jubilee's turn to laugh, and Kitty's face lit up with a fierce blush. "That was one time!" She shrieked, play-slapping Jubilee's thigh.

Rogue watched them play-fight as they bantered and she could already feel her depression evaporating. They were always really good at making her feel better.

"You know what we should do?" Jubilee asked suddenly. She was met with two blank expressions. "We should go hit the club."

"Its nine-thirty. We'll never get out of here and back without getting in loads of trouble." Kitty said. Rogue smiled at her. "You can walk through walls, Kitty." And that pretty much settled the matter.

**Half an hour later **three girls found themselves in one of the downtown clubs they had snuck out to before. When you know a computer genius who can walk through walls, fake I.D's were an easy business. In fact, the fake I.D.'s were only for the sake of drinking if they wanted to. They were only eighteen, sure, and normal eighteen-year-olds would need fake I.D's to get into a club, but again, with a friend who can walk through walls…

"See? This is just what you need." Jubilee yelled over the music to Rogue. Rogue wasn't too sure. It had sounded okay in her room, but when Jubilee and Kitty had shoved her into the outfit they had concocted that was made of tight black leggings and a tight, long sleeved green mesh dress, she wasn't so sure. Especially when the black knee length high heeled boots had gone on. Call her old fashioned, but it wasn't them most satisfying feeling when you knew your black bra was clearly visible through your mesh.

She couldn't complain about the fact that almost all of her skin was covered as soon as she had slipped on her black leather gloves. It was horrible knowing she still had to rely on those, but that was just what she had to deal with, she supposed.

She, Jubilee, and Kitty found a spot on the dance floor and began to dance. Rogue had always liked dancing, and as she felt the rhythm move through her, she thought, who cares if I can't be touched? Doesn't that just make dancing like this all the more fun? To show all those disgusting men just what they couldn't have? She laughed at the thought, and continued moving her body.

She was getting used to the jostling of bodies against her in the cramped space, but suddenly she felt a larger, firm hand close around her left butt cheek, and that she wasn't used to. She let out a surprised shriek and turned around just in time to see a gloved hand slip back into the throng of dancers. Her cheeks blazed and she was furious. Screw dancing, she wanted to find that guy and deck him!

"Something wrong?" Kitty called, her voice barely noticeable above the music. Rogue gestured for the bar, and Kitty nodded in understanding, turning back to her dancing.

Rogue slumped down into a barstool. She knew she'd never find the culprit of her groping, but she thought maybe if she had a drink in her she'd feel better. She didn't drink often, so she drank only if she was with friends in case she drank more than she could handle which, she admitted, wasn't much.

"Bartender, A long Island Iced Tea." She called. The bartender looked up at her, looked her over, then nodded.

She turned her back to the bar and looked back at the dance floor. She could barely make out Jubilee's shining 'X' earrings in the flashing lights. But that was alright with her. They always met up by the bar around midnight. She wasn't worried about losing them.

She heard a clunk and turned to see the bartender had set her drink down. She reached into her pocket for her money, noticing with satisfaction that the man hadn't even asked her for her I.D.

She was about to deposit her money into the bartender's meaty hand when another hand got to it first. She looked up to see a man, head mostly in shadow, rattle a complicated drink order off to the bartender before plopping down into the seat next to her.

She looked over at him. And nearly blushed. He was about a head taller than her, but he slouched. She didn't mind the slouching, however, as it gave her a better view of his face. And what a view it was. He had an angular face, but in a perfect way. His mouth was curled into a seductive smile, his lips very sensual and kissable. He had slight stubble on his chin that would have looked sloppy on anyone else. His hair was auburn, long, and shaggy. She just wished she could see his eyes, but they were hidden under black sunglasses.

"Usually when a man pays fo' a lady's drink, sat lady den proceeded ta' dank the _homme_."

She didn't even register that he was talking to her, she was so busy admiring him. It was a bit of a shame, actually, that she was cut off just as she was getting a good look at his broad chest. He was muscular, but lanky.

"'Dough, Remy admit he' flattered dat a fine Southern Belle like yo'self want's ta' check him out. So he'll take dat instead of a dank you." He continued.

Rogue finally snapped out of her blissful undressing of this man with her eyes and back to reality. She knew her face was as bright as a fire truck, and this man Remy must have known too, because he was chuckling as he looked at her.

She barely had time to think of something smooth to say back. She spit out the first thing that came to mind. "Who asked you to pay for mah drink, you cocky swamp rat?" She asked. Then she mentally slapped herself. Oh yeah, that was smooth.

However, instead of being insulted, he just smiled wider. "So you know where Remy from. Dat a good ting fo' him. And you have an attitude. Dat just makes everting more fun."

She was slightly irritated. By his third person and his cocky attitude, she already knew he was one of those men who thought they were God's gift to women. However, she was also intrigued.

She turned away for a moment, then looked back at him and smirked at him over the rim of her glass. "'Course Ah know where you're from. What kind of Southern girl would Ah be if Ah didn't know a Cajun accent when I heard one?"

"Glad ta' hear it, _Chere._ Remy tinks he made a good choice in who he bought a drink fo'." He looked her over, his eyes roaming over her body just as hers had his, so she knew just what he was thinking.

"Undress me with you eyes again, Cajun, and I'll throw this glass at your head." She said, smiling at him and sipping her drink.

Remy took a swig of his own. "_Pardon, fille. _Remy hopes you'll forgive him. He jus' can't help himself sometimes."

"Well, if you're lookin' for me to apologize for threatening you, you're talkin' to the wrong girl." Rogue replied. She was really falling into a nice chat with this guy, in her opinion. She was surprised she could hold her own so well with him being so gorgeous, but she could. And she was liking it.

"'Course not. He like it better when his _femmes _are feisty." He leaned a little closer to her, brushing her arm with his gloved fingers. It was a simple gesture in a very average place, but it still sent shivers up and down her spine. Which was a bad thing. She was a loner now, a Rogue, and she couldn't have this guy ruining that mindset for her. She had to get away from him, fast.

She downed the last of her drink and hopped off of the bar stool. "Thanks for the drink, Cajun." She turned to go, and braced herself for her last move. "Oh, yeah, and Ah'm not your 'femme'" She threw over her shoulder. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

Suddenly she felt a presence at her side. She looked up to see him following her to the dance floor. "Fo' dat drink, Remy tinks you owe him a dance, _Chere._" He said, flashing her another one of those award winning smiles.

"Whatever." She didn't even look at him as she turned her back to him and started moving. The music started in her hips, then moved up to her chest, and finally to her head, where she lost it. She felt his hands on her hips and she smiled to herself and moved with them, pushing her backside into him. His hands moved up her sides to her ribs, where his thumbs brushed up and down, making her gasp before one moved back to her hip, the other taking her wrist and pulling her around to face him.

_Well I'm not paralyzed  
But, I seem to be struck by you  
I want to make you move  
Because you're standing still  
If your body matches  
What your eyes can do  
You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you_

She barely heard the music as she ground her body against his. Normally, she thought fuzzily, she would never get this into a dance with some guy she just met. It must be the alcohol.

His hands roamed her back as she tangled her fingers in his hair before moving her fingers to his chest, feeling the hardness of his abdomen before looping her hands around his neck.

He bent in close to her and breathed across her neck, his lips dangerously close to her bare skin. She gasped again as he pulled her tightly to him, her eyes half closed. Her mouth stayed parted from her gasp as she stared up at him. She wanted to kiss him. Hell, screw kissing, she wanted to go home with this guy. Alarm bells were going off in her head. She can't touch him! She had better put those dangerous lips away right now! But another part of her asked why. Why can't I touch him? Why can't I feel his gorgeous body under her bare skin, those large hands of his on her….

Something was definitely wrong, but she paid no attention. She was pulling his face down for a kiss, her mind fuzzy and her movements feeling sluggish, when suddenly her legs were gone. At least, that's what she though had happened when she suddenly started to fall. Were it not for Remy, (Was that his name?) she would have fallen. But she felt herself being picked up and carried, and then there was cold air on her face.

She looked up and noticed she was outside. Remy put her down and she had to cling to him to stand. "You know, I never get this drunk on those that easily." She told him, as if it was important. And somehow, it was important. Something was terribly wrong.

"Dat's okay. Jus' relax fo' a minute. You'll be okay. Jus' hold onta' Remy." He told her. She nodded and did just that. What was wrong? Why did she have that anxious feeling? Something was very very wrong.

"Dere you are, _homme._ Remy been waitin' on you." She heard him say.

"Hmm? Out of her blurry world she looked up to see another man approaching. But who was it? She started struggling to see.

"You sure you got her, Gambit?" The new man asked.

"When Remy tell you he got sometin', he got it." Remy almost sounded irritated.

"Let me go now, you prick!" Rogue was in trouble. She fought hard, but she wasn't able to do much. That bastard must have slipped something into her drink. She couldn't get good footing. "Somebody help!" She shouted.

"Now _chere,_ just calm down a minute. Remy takin' good care o' you." He said soothingly.

"The hell you are!" She yanked her glove off of one hand with her teeth, and reached up to touch him. He caught her hand, and just as he did she felt something hard hit her in the side of the head. The pain was intense, and it spread across her body. She cried out and slumped against Remy. Her last conscious thought was how funny it was that Remy had the same gloves as the guy who had earlier grabbed her butt.

**A/N: So there you have it, the first chapter. Hope you review! Til next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing she was aware of was the pain

"**This had better be good for you're sakes." **Logan growled as he stalked into the library where Kitty and Jubilee had called himself and Storm to. He surveyed their less-than-pajama like clothing and raised an eyebrow, though he kept his comments to himself.

Storm was still rubbing sleep out of her eyes when she entered the room, Kurt in tow. When she saw the girls her eyes widened and she scowled. "What are you two doing out of bed?" She demanded, folding her arms over her chest.

Jubilee opened her mouth to make an excuse, but Kitty was faster. "That's not important! Rogue's gone!"

Logan's eyes instantly changed to resemble more of the animal he was named for. "What happened?"

Kitty wanted to respond, but she was afraid. Just looking at Logan as he was at that moment made her freeze up.

When she didn't respond, he rapidly closed the distance between them and bent down to her level, taking one of her shoulders in each hand. "What. Happened." His voice was dangerously low. Storm put a warning hand on his shoulder, and he slowly backed off.

Jubilee was the one to answer Logan's question. "She was depressed, so we took her out. We thought she needed it, you know? After all that's happened lately. So we went to a club downtown. She was dancing with this guy, and we were keeping an eye on them. But the she seemed to pass out, or something, and we saw the guy taking her from the club."

As she spoke the reactions from the adults varied. Storm looked worried, but also worn and irritated. Kurt was listening with rapt attention. Logan, Kitty noted, looked like it was getting harder and harder for him to contain himself.

"We tried to follow them, but the dancers got in our way and we couldn't get out to her. By the time we were able to, they were gone." She finished, and Logan looked like he was going to explode.

"She was kidnapped, is that what you're saying?" Storm asked, her voice having risen an octave. "Jesus, girls, what were you thinking? Why didn't any of you call us when you saw this guy taking her away?"

The girls had no answer for her.

"I'm going after her." Logan announced, heading for the door.

"Logan, wait. How are you going to find her? We don't have the Professor to find her for us this time. There's nothing we can do at this time. We have to do some research." Storm said.

"Research? What research? I'll find her without it. You." Logan pointed to Kitty, and she sat bolt upright in her seat. "Take me to that club you went to. I wanna check it out. I can probably get a scent or something."

Kitty got up and followed him. Out of the room, casting a glance at Storm as she did so, who looked increasingly agitated. Storm looked back at Kurt and Jubilee.

"Jubilation, I want you to go wake up Piotr. If you remember what he looks like, maybe he can draw up a sketch. Kurt." She turned to face him, and he nodded. "I need you to stay here and watch the children. If anything happens, I need you to call me. I'm going with them. We should be back before morning."

She made to follow Logan, when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder.

"Ororo." It was Kurt. For a moment he just studied her face. Then he dropped his hand and looked away. "Be careful."

"**This is where they left to." **Kitty said, pointing out the back alley that the door Rogue and her captor had left through led to. The adults, Logan and Storm, surveyed the area, looking for any evidence that might lead to the finding of Rogue.

Storm was worried. She didn't have any idea how she was going to find her. They needed the Professor and Cerebro. It was all giving her a headache. She rubbed her temples as she looked blindly around in the dark, not knowing what she was looking for. Why had she gone with Logan? He could take care of himself. No, she had gone for Kitty's sake. If Logan found anything here, he would have dragged Kitty along with him. And he would never hurt the little Shadowcat, but he would give her a good chewing out about letting Rogue get kidnapped. Storm just wanted them to be punished for being out late. Rogue getting kidnapped wasn't their fault.

"Storm!" Logan's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she rushed to his side. He was crouched low to the ground, and she put a hand on his shoulder as she bent down to his level. He spared her hand a slight glance before looking back at the object in his own hand.

He was holding a lead pipe, probably a scrap from the club's construction. "A pipe?" Storm asked, looking to Logan's face.

"It smells like her. It's got Rogue's blood on it." His voice was a growl. Storm could feel the tension in his body. She squeezed his shoulder and put her other hand to his face. He turned to face her, and when she saw the raw anger in his eyes, she felt a small jolt of fear. She swallowed it quickly. "We'll find her." She assured him.

**The first thing she was aware** of was the pain. It was just an irritating pulse at first, something she could shrug off for more sleep. Oh, sleep was good. It felt so good. She just wanted to sleep, but as the pain grew, it became like a knife being driven through her head. She couldn't take it anymore. Squeezed her eyes as tightly closed as she could, she reached a hand up to touch her forehead. When she did, the skin above her eyebrow felt slightly raised and…and…what was sticking out of it?

She opened her eyes slowly. Doing so hurt her head, whatever was wrong with it. It was still dark, and she thanked the powers that be that it was. Her head was pounding and once she got a look at what was wrong with it, she'd be able to get back to sleep. Shutting her eyes again, she rolled over and threw her legs over the side of the bed. Something felt amiss. Her bed seemed too big, but she paid it no mind. What she really wanted to know was why she was still wearing pants at this time of night.

She stood up and unbuttoned them, sliding them off and kicking them across the room. She clumsily made her way across the dark room, searching the wall for her bathroom door. Now where was that thing? Ah, there was the doorknob. She put her hand on it, prepared to turn, when it turned on its own. The door swung open, and she was blinded by the sudden light that poured out of it.

When she could see again, she was greeted with a tall, nicely muscled man looking down at her, long auburn hair hanging in his face. What brought her back to reality were his eyes. Where his eyes should have been white, they were black, and his irises were red. In the dim light of the bedroom, they seemed to glow.

"Good Mornin', _Chere._ How did you sleep?" He asked.

She screamed, scrambling backwards. She hit a window with the blinds pulled down. Upon impact they fell on top of her, bathing her in daylight.

"Ah, _Chere,_ you have no idea how hard it was ta' get dose up." He said in mock sadness.

"Who are you and what the hell are you doin' in mah room?!" Rogue asked, though it came out as a shrill yelp. She searched her thoughts for what happened last night, but she couldn't drag anything up. Except that man's face kept bubbling to the surface, along with former desires. But now, the only desire she felt for him was to kill him.

"Yo' room?" He tilted his head to the side, bending down to face her.

At his words she looked around. He was right, she wasn't in her own room. This room was larger, and where hers was hardwood, this one was carpeted in white, the bed sheets she had just gotten out of the same color. She realized with a jolt that this must be his room. Why the hell was she in this guy's room?

She had to remember last night. She shut her eyes and tried to remember. She broke up with Bobby. Kitty and Jubilee had taken her out dancing. This man was there…Remy. His name was Remy.

"You!" She cried, jerking her body against the wall harder in an attempt to get further away from him.

His eyebrows knit together, but he was still smiling. He put a gloved hand over his heart. "You wound me deeply, _mon chere._ Remy only wants ta' help."

"Help? You kidnapped me! Where the hell am Ah? And what happened last night? Ah know Ah wasn't drunk, so why can't Ah remember much?" Rogue shouted. Her head still hurt, but in her anger her pain was forgotten.

"Non, you weren't drunk. But as you can see by Remy's eyes, he's a mutant too, an' he has some pretty persuasive met'ods ta' get _belle filles_ such as yo'self inta his bed." Remy replied with a wink.

"Really." Rogue said, her voice significantly quieter. Then she sent a fist flying out at him, striking him in the face. Without looking back, she ran from the room, slamming the door behind her. She raced down the hall, past several hall doors, not sure where she was or where she was going. No, she knew where she was going: out of here and away from that kidnapping Cajun playboy.

She caught sight of another person and jumped before realizing it was herself reflected in a mirror across the hall. She had to admit, she looked ghastly. Where her head hurt was a nasty looking gash that had been crudely stitched together, and when she touched them they hurt.

Her eyes had dark circles beneath them, and her clothes were stiff with dried blood she assumed was her own. Her hair was a total battle zone. She heard footsteps behind her, and wasted no more time looking at herself. She saw a staircase and bolted down it.

The house she was in was rather large, she gave it that, though all she wanted now was to be out of it. Confused, her head pounding, she was just able to make out what looked to be the front door. She could almost taste her freedom. She lunged for it, and just as her fingers were closing on the doorknob, a very strong hand gripped her other wrist and pulled. Hard.

The movement sent her flying across the room and into a couch. It toppled with her weight and sent her sprawling to the floor. She moved to get up, the pain in her head almost overwhelming, not to mention the new aches in the rest of her body.

She looked up at her attacker, expecting to see Remy. Instead, she saw a tall boy, about her age with shaggy black hair. His clothes were slightly torn and he looked a little surprised to see her all the way across the room, as though he hadn't expected it to happen. He offered no apology, though, and was already on his way toward her. She backed away, looking around for a weapon. She found a remote and threw it at him, hitting him square in the forehead. He stopped and grabbed his head.

"Ow! What the hell?" His speed for her increased, and she was about to turn tail and run when she ran into the chest of a tall, redheaded man. He didn't look sinister, just curious as he glanced down at her. There was stubble on his chin and his face had sort of a tough look to it, like it was used to seeing hard work.

He reached out to her, but she was dragged back by the other boy who had reached her while she had been looking at this one. The first guy pulled her back toward the couch, where he righted said furniture and threw her down into it. "Who the hell are you?" He asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She asked, attempting a kick to his groin. He dodged it and raised his hand. She knew there was a slap coming, and she barely saw the red-headed man take a step forward, his face angry, before she turned her face to the side, bracing herself for pain. It never came.

She looked up and she saw a hand extended from the other side of the couch behind her. She swiveled and looked up to see Remy, now dressed, holding the other man's wrist.

"I don't think I gave you permission ta' touch what's mine, did I Dom?" He asked, his voice strangely low and devoid of the third person.

The boy who had attempted to hit her pulled his hand away. He took a long look at Remy, a fight in his eyes, before it died. "So she's just one of you're sluts, then?" He asked.

"Excuse me?!" Rogue shrieked, glaring up at him. She heard Remy's low chuckle behind her.

"Ah don't think it's partic'lry nice ta' call a lady a 'slut' Dominic." The red-headed man commented, his voice laden with a southern twang.

Dominic, the violent one, as Rogue was registering him, just grunted.

"Ah'm no anythin' of this guy's. He kidnapped! Ah just wanna go home." Rogue said sharply, glaring at Dominic.

The southern redhead gave her a sympathetic smile, and Remy put a hand on her shoulder. "Aw, _chere,_ you can' be tirin' of Remy dat quickly. We jus' met last night and had a wonderful time." He said, giving her a cheeky smile.

Disgusted, she shrugged his hand off of her.

"Oh, so wait, this is the girl we were supposed to kidnap?" Dominic asked.

"_Oui_. Imagine Remy's surprise when he goes out drinkin' last night and sees the lovely _fille_ sittin' at the bar. You can dank me later." He added.

"We're still getting a cut of the money for that, just to let you know." Dominic replied.

Remy just smiled at him before turning his attention back on Rogue. "So, seems ta' Remy dat you could use a shower." He said.

Rogue glared at him. Though, she had to admit, he may have a point. She was covered in dirt, sweat and blood. Not a great combination.

"Ah don't think so. The only thing Ah'm doin' is leaving." She tried to get to her feet, but Remy just put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back down.

"Sorry, can't be doin' dat. See, our boss out us in control o' you, and so we can't exactly jus' let you waltz on outta here. Non?" He explained.

"What are you talkin' about? Who wants me? Why do Ah need someone to be put in control of me?! Where am Ah?" The questions tumbled out of her mouth without form. She didn't care which ones got answered first, she just wanted answers. "An' who hit me last night?"

"Oh, dat was Dominic here. Even dough Remy had the whole ting under control." Remy replied. "As fo' the rest of yo' questions, I can't tell you."

Rogue looked back at the three faces looking down at her. She was scared, but she was angry, too. However, at this precise moment, fear was winning out. She had just been smacked around by this Dominic guy, and who knew what else these people were capable of.

"I say we just tie her up." Dominic suggested, leaning against a coffee table.

The redhead shook his head, but looked away.

"Hold on dere, Dom, dere's no reason ta' be scarin' the girl now. Firs' thing's firs'. Was' yo' name, _chere?_" Remy asked.

She didn't want to answer, but with the violently inclined Dominic glaring down at her threatening to tie her up, she didn't want to take any chances. "Mah name's Rogue." She murmured.

"See? Now dat wasn' so hard. You may like it here if you keep bein' obedient." Remy said, ruffling her hair.

"Get offa me!" She growled, pulled away.

Dominic, for the first time she'd seen him, laughed. "Looks like you found yourself a girl who's not falling all over you, LeBeau."

Rogue just glared. She had been in danger room sessions before where she was forced to be a hostage. She had been trained to keep quiet and obedient to minimize damage to her health, but in reality she was terrified and confused and finding it difficult to follow those instructions.

She had so many questions to ask, though she felt as though it may be best to ask them when Dominic wasn't around.

"So what's it gonna be, Rogue? Do you think we should tie you up?" Dominic asked.

"Non, non, _homme_. Leave the _fille_ alone. If she can be a good girl, we'll let her wander around. We'll only tie her up as a last resort." Remy said. "Now" he bent down to her. "Do you want ta' take dat shower? Don' give me a reason not ta' trust you, an' you'll be alright. An' no more hittin' Remy, you got a good arm on you." He smiled. And for some reason, his smile comforted her.

She nodded vigorously, eager to get away from Dominic. "Dat settles it. She wants ta' take a shower. And she'll stay under Remy's care, since he's the one who got her." Remy told the other two boys. She wanted to smack his cocky face around, but he was the only one she felt remotely safe with right now.

"Dominic, go get some clothes for the _fille_ out of Laura's room." Remy ordered. Dominic's eyes widened.

"Aw hell no am I goin' in there. She'll kill me!" He argued. Laura? She? Rogue took slight comfort in the fact that there was another girl in the house. Slight.

"You jus' wan' her ta' walk around here naked, den? Not dat Remy'd have a problem wit it, he just t'ought dat the Rogue here may not like the idea." Remy said.

Damn straight she wouldn't walk around here naked! She thought. She'd rather put her dirty clothes back on than that.

"Ah'll go." Said the redhead, and he was gone. Dominic grunted, and Remy escorted Rogue back up to his room.

"**Are you gonna hurt me?"** She asked, once they were alone together. For the briefest moment Remy's eyebrow's knit together in confusion before his characteristic smile was back in place.

"Course not, _Chere_. Remy only kidnapped you 'cause he was tol' to. Dat's what t'ieves like hid do. He's gettin' paid." Remy replied.

Rogue relaxed a bit. So they weren't going to hurt her. At least, Remy wasn't. As much of a jerk as he was, she didn't think he'd actually hurt her, or let the other people here hurt her.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Dominic stood in the doorway. Remy saw her stiffen.

"I just called her. She says she'll be here tomorrow or the next day. She had to pick up someone." He said, then he was gone. Rogue relaxed.

"Are you scared o' him, _chere?_" Remy asked.

"No! Well, maybe. He just seems unpredictable, an' Ah don't like that." She replied.

"He won't hurt you. At least, not while Remy's around." Remy said, and for the second time she saw a glimmer of a deeper side of him. Then it was gone. "The shower's in dere. You can go on in. Unless, of course, ya' wan' de company." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She opened her mouth to snap at him, decided against it, and turned for the bathroom, slamming the door so she couldn't hear him chuckling.

She undressed quickly, tossing her clothes onto the floor. She wrapped herself in a towel, and before she could step into the shower, there was a knock at the door.

"No, Ah don't want company, Remy!" She shouted.

There was silence, then a tentative, "Rogue?"

She opened the door a crack, holding the towel desperately to herself. Outside the room was the redhead, holding a stack of clothing. When he saw she was in a towel, he averted his eyes. "Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't see nothin'. Here's some clothes, Ah'm not sure how they'll fit, but they were all Ah could get." He told her.

She had to admit, he seemed sweet. Genuinely sweet. She took the clothes from him. "Thanks, Ah appreciate it."

"Yeah, well. Anyway, Ah don't think he'd do anything drastic, he's a pretty decent guy, but if Remy tried anythin' with you, just call for me. Mah name's Sam." He gave her a smile, and shut the door for her.

She stood there shocked for a moment, then she sighed. Well, worse come worse, she convinces this Sam guy to help her. He didn't seem bad at all, so what was he doing here with these kidnappers? And Remy, other than being a cocky asshole, didn't seem to be genuinely evil either, so what was going on? There were too many questions. She just wanted answers, or to go home, whichever came first.

She took her shower, letting the hot water be a sort of relief, and when she got out she was feeling a little better about her situation. Not a whole lot, but a little. She looked at the clothes Sam had gotten for her. Black sweatpants and a black long sleeved shirt. She noted the lack of bra and underwear. She tugged the pants on without the underwear, wincing at how exposed she felt. Then she wrestled her bra out of her dirty clothes and put it on, not willing to be in a house of boys without a bra.

When she pulled on the shirt she felt much better, even though the shirt was a little tight for her liking. Apparently this Laura person had a small chest. Or liked her clothes tight. The pants, Rogue noticed, had two identical cuts on the thigh right next to each other, and she could only wonder.

She put her hand on the doorknob and prepared to face her reality again, when she looked in the mirror, and saw it: a window.

**A/N: So that's all for the second chapter! Sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoyed it. I got a lot of new mutants on the payroll this time, and they will all become clear in time for those of you who didn't know who they were in this chapter. So review, and I'll have the next chapter soon! (Oh, and in case you didn't know, cliffhangers are going to be happening a lot.) Oh, and your request made it in! (You know who you are;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long, guys. My life got in the way. But here it is, the third chapter. As always, read, enjoy, review. I hope you like the characters, since these are just about the only other characters that will be introduced, save for a cameo here and there. **

**The fall was hard**, though nothing like a fall in the Danger Room if you weren't paying attention. Rogue hit the ground, landing on her stomach. It hurt, but she was just happy to be out of that house. Granted, she had no idea where she was at, and they must have taken her cell phone, but she was an Xman, and Xmen don't give up. She would find her way home.

She got up and dusted herself off. Had she been able to cling to the window sills a little longer, she wouldn't be so bruised in the morning, but sometimes, you just have to take life as it hits you. Or as you hit it, so to speak.

She looked up quickly, making sure no one had seen or heard her, and then she was off. The house was positioned in the woods, making it more difficult for her to tell where she was. So instead she ran blindly. She ran past trees, and bushes, the sunlight casting glances of shine through her hair as she went. Eventually, the adrenaline snuffing out, she slowed.

She didn't realize how tired she was until she actually stopped. She leaned against a tree, breathing hard. She would make it out of this. This was nothing. They wouldn't even know she was missing. At least, not yet she hoped. Then she heard it. It was just a slight whistle at first. Then it grew to a noise she recognized from two years ago: the sound of a missile. She turned, looking toward the sound. It certainly looked like a missile, actually. She couldn't see the details from this far away, and when it got close, even when it flew over her head, it was hidden by the sun.

When she saw it fall into the trees, she turned to run the other direction. She didn't get very far, however, before when a large hand fell over her mouth. She tried to scream, but it held her tight. She jabbed her elbow back, but she only hit air. The body holding her was hot, almost too hot to stand, but before she could see who it was, they made themselves known.

"Rogue, shh, shh, it's just me!"

The hand went away and the grip relaxed. "Sam!" She gasped, whirling on him. She prepared to kick him, but he held out his hands in surrender.

"Whoa, listen. Ah'm not gonna hurt ya." He said.

"Then what are you gonna do? Take me back to that house? Ah don't think so." She said.

"Rogue…Listen. We may seem like some bad guys, but we really ain't. Ah mean, it's not like you're gonna get hurt. Our employer jus' wants ta' use ya'. After that, Ah'm sure she'll let ya' go." He gave her a cute, lopsided smile.

She searched his face for a falter, any sign of a lie, but she couldn't find one.

"Now if ya' don't come back with me now, Gambit's gonna come after ya'. He only let me go get ya' 'cause Ah'd get to ya' first." He smiled again.

"Gambit?" She asked, taking a step toward Sam.

Sam nodded. "The womanizin' Cajun."

Rogue couldn't help but giggle. Sam was just so likeable. She wanted to hate him, but she just couldn't. Even as she studied him, she couldn't find much of a fault.

Then she noticed something curious. "You're not a natural redhead." She said, reaching up and tugging gently on a stray blonde lock in the midst of all the red that stuck up around a pair of goggles.

"You're right, Ah ain't." He said, with a little forced laugh.

"Why did you dye it? You just like the color?" Rogue asked.

He smirked. "Oh yeah, Ah love it. Nah, Ah dyed it 'cause of the reason Ah'm here." He looked slightly uncomfortable. "See, Ah accidentally got inta' some trouble with the law 'cause of mah powers, and when mah employer found me, she helped me get outta that mess. Then she recommended Ah change mah appearance somewhat so Ah wouldn't get caught. That's why Ah have to get you back. 'Cause Ah owe her. She took me in when no one else would." He explained.

"The Xmen would've." Rogue replied.

He didn't answer at first, and he looked up at the sky. Then he turned to face her. "Let's get back, huh?"

"**So you got her back in one piece, henh?" **Remy was leaning against the railing of the porch when Rogue and Sam returned.

"It was no problem." Sam said, and Rogue scowled at him. He may be the kindest guy here, but he was still a guy. They must all have a built in ego regulator that's constantly on the fritz.

"There she is!" Dominic burst from the door and was headed down the steps toward her.

"We got her back, there's no reason ta' worry." Sam said as the ground suddenly started shaking. Rogue looked down, but they only explanation for the sudden earthquake was the angry teen stalking toward her. Before he could reach her, however, Remy had stepped in front of her and was facing Dominic.

Dominic paid him no mind until Remy's hand found its way to his chest and stopped him in his tracks. "Listen, _homme_, you need to learn to control yo'self." He said, and Rogue had never actually heard Remy sound dangerous.

"Remy?" Rogue said uncertainly, finding it difficult to stand on the ground as the shaking grew more and more violent.

"And yo' powers." Remy added. "Rogue, go upstairs ta' my room. I t'ink me an' Sam need ta' have a chat wit' Dom here. And _chere_?" He gave her a look. "Don' give me a reason not ta' trust you."

Rogue didn't give the three a backwards glance as she bolted into the house. She didn't care that they were the 'bad guys', because right now, they were between her and Dominic. As far as she was concerned, Sam and Remy were the 'good' bad guys.

When the ground stopped shaking she climbed the stairs, trying to remember where Remy's room was. She headed toward what she thought was the right door, and opened it. It turned out it was the wrong door.

What she found was a mess. The room's walls were ripped and scratched, clothes strewn about and pieces of furniture littered the floor. It looked…well, frankly it looked like what Logan's room did after a particularly bad nightmare. She was just turning to leave when she came face to face with a girl.

The girl was a little younger than her, perhaps sixteen, with long black hair and full lips. Her eyes were brown and when they saw her, they narrowed.

"Is this your room? Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't know. Ah was lookin' for Remy's…" Rogue trailed off as she noticed the girl wasn't responding, just glaring. She walked into her room as Rogue walked out, watching her. "Ah'm sorry…" Rogue started to say again, when the girl's lip curled, and a low growl escaped her before she slammed the door in Rogue's face. For a moment Rogue just stood there blinking, torn between running for her life away from this door or making the girl inside come out and apologize.

She ran for her life.

When she finally did reach Remy's room she slammed the door and locked it, turning and leaning against it for support. So she was back at square one, she thought, looking around the room. What was she going to do? She had tried to escape, and where had that gotten her? Nowhere.

Her sigh turned into a choked sob as she slid to the floor, burying her face in her hands. At least no one could hear her crying.

"**Storm! Storm, we got a picture!" **Jubilee greeted her headmistress excitedly, holding up Piotr's sketchbook. Piotr stood warily behind her, trying to stifle a yawn. Jubilee's eyes were bloodshot and she had circles under her eyes, but her temporary excitement at Storm's return seemed to have made her forget her weariness.

Storm was just glad to be back at this point. They had been out until dawn. When Logan had found the pipe with Rogue's blood on it, he had gone ballistic, forcing Kitty and herself to stay out with him until he had to admit defeat. Admitting defeat for Logan was not an easy thing, and perhaps the only thing keeping Kitty from freaking out was the fact that Storm was there. It was only an hour later that Kitty had fallen asleep. Logan was carrying her to the girl's dorm as Jubilee spoke.

"It took us a few tries, because I don't think Piotr was understanding my descriptions," Jubilee said, and Piotr snorted behind her. She glared at him, but continued. "Here, take a look at this." She presented the sketchbook to Storm.

Storm took it and looked at the picture. A handsome, smirking face looked back at her, his eyes hidden by sunglasses. "He looks familiar…" She trailed off, her eyes distant. She focused back on Jubilee. "Did you see his eyes?" She asked.

Jubilee shook her head. "He kept his sunglasses on tight, like he had something to hide." She replied.

Storm looked back at the picture. "Something to hide…" She murmured.

"Storm?"

She looked up and saw Kurt coming down the stairs toward her. He stopped before he reached the bottom. "May I speak to you for a moment?" He asked.

Storm looked back at Jubilee and Piotr, scanned the picture a moment, then she handed the sketchbook back to Piotr. "I think I've seen this man before, but I don't remember exactly when and where. Thank you two for working so hard and long. I'll try to remember. Now you two need to get some sleep. I'll make the announcements later, I'm going to cancel classes until we find Rogue."

When she dismissed them, she followed Kurt up the stairs to her study, where she took a seat in the nearest chair. "Yes, Kurt?"

Kurt sat in the chair across from her. "Dr. McCoy vanted me to tell you he was summoned to the White House. He left an hour ago."

Storm looked up. "Why?"

"It seem that the President vants to speak to him about Rogue's case. Dr. McCoy wasn't sure if they vould let the message go public yet, but at least them speaking to him is a step in the right direction." Kurt said.

Storm's head fell into her hands, despite the potentially good news this could be. But what were they going to do about Rogue?

"Does this information not make you happy?" She heard his concerned voice close to her.

"No, it does, it's just that…we still need to find Rogue, and we have no leads whatsoever. I just…I don't know what to do. If only the professor were here…" She heaved a great sigh, and looked up quickly when she felt two fuzzy fingers on her cheek. Kurt's face was close to hers, and he had one hand on her hand, the other brushed a hair out of her face.

"You know that no matter vhat decisions you make, ve'll be here. Ve'll find her, and when we do, hopefully Dr. McCoy vill haf this whole thing vith the government vorked out. Everything vill be alright." He soothed, and she let him soothe her. She needed it.

Suddenly the door to the study flew open, and Kurt leaped back as Logan entered the room, casting a glare in his direction. Storm cleared her throat and looked up. "Logan?"

"I'm going after her." He said in a voice that sounded more like a growl.

"What?" Storm's voice had been shriller than she meant it to be. "Kurt, can you excuse us for a moment?"

Kurt nodded, and in a poof of black smoke, he was gone.

"Logan, you can't be serious. We looked for hours, and you couldn't find any trace of her." Storm said, placing a hand on his arm.

"Ororo, I…I can't let her just stay out there with whoever's got her. What if its one of Magneto's guys? I got a whiff of whoever hit her, and they don't smell normal. She was definitely picked up by mutants." He said.

"Then she may be safe, at least for the time being, right? If they abducted her, then they must have a reason." Storm replied.

"Is that supposed to be a comfort?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm going looking for her, and when I find her, I'll come back."

"So you won't be here until you find her? Logan, we need you. I need you. I can't handle all of this with just me and Kurt. Now Hank is gone, and you're leaving…" The frustration at everything was getting to be too much, and she felt her voice crack. She was barely able to hold back frustrated tears.

Logan watched her, and he raised a hand, then dropped it, not knowing exactly what to do. In the end he settled with wrapping his arms around her, letting her compose herself. When she had, she gently pulled away and straightened her clothing.

"I'm going to look for her, but I'll come back. I'll call you if I get a lead." He said.

She smiled at him, and he left the room. He was gone the whole day.

**The knock was low and quiet. **Rogue didn't hear it at first. She had fallen asleep, for how long she didn't know, but when she eventually looked up from her fetal position on the floor in front of the door, the knocking had increased.

The door burst open, hitting her in the head and launching her forward. She let out a shriek and covered her throbbing head.

"_Chere?!_ Oh, I'm sorry!" She heard the slight laugh in the voice as Remy's face swam into view, looking down at her. "I didn' mean to hit you. I thought you might have run away again." She felt his gentle hands on the back of her head before she batted them away.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Cajun!" She growled.

"Rogue, at least let Remy look at yo' stitches." He said, reaching out to touch her.

"Don't touch me!" She shouted.

He froze and cocked his head at her, frowning.

"Its not like that. Ah mean, Ah don't want you touchin' me anyway, but…mah mutation hurts people. It…"

"It sucks the life force outta the people who get too close, yeah, Remy knows." Remy finished for her.

"How do you…?" Rogue asked, and Remy gave her a sneaky smile.

"Remy always does research on his target before he goes after it." Rogue was shocked. All this time he had known her secret, and still he had flirted with her and tried to touch her. She had never encountered someone so unafraid of her powers.

"Then why do you still insist on touchin' me?" She pressed. "Ah could kill you."

"Remy always been taught to play the hand he's dealt, and recently he happened to be dealt a _belle chere_."He winked at her, and she felt the blush creeping into her face despite how much she wanted to be repelled by him. She had to admit, as she looked at him, he really was quite the guy. She'd noticed he was handsome from the start, sure, but now that she sort of knew him…

"Can I help you?" He asked. She suddenly realized that she had been staring at him as she was thinking, and snapped back. If she had been blushing before, it was nothing compared to what she was doing now. He must have noticed because he started laughing. She punched him in the arm but couldn't help cracking a smile too.

Suddenly they heard a door slam, and footsteps. Remy stood up straight and looked at his closed bedroom door. There was a knock. "Come in." Remy called, stepping in front of Rogue.

Sam opened the door and poked his head inside. "Uh…Yo' prolly not gonna believe this but…She's here."

Rogue looked from Sam to Remy. Remy's eyes gave a slight twitch before his cocky smile was back in place. However, she had been around tense people before, and she noticed the way Sam and Remy now carried themselves as they walked towards the door.

At the door, Remy looked back at her. "You comin'?" Rogue hesitated. "Or you can stay here and wait…"

Rogue quickly got up and ran to his side. If she wasn't able to get out of here, she was going to take every opportunity to get answers.

She followed them down the hall and down the stairs. When they got there, the door was open. In walked Dom, holding what looked like a body wrapped in a sheet. Rogue could barely see a few locks of blonde hair poking out of the bottom of it. He walked past her, and she reflexively flinched. He didn't even look at her, and when she looked up at Remy, he was looking at Dom with his jaw set.

When Rogue looked back at the door, another man was walking through it, but she couldn't see his face through the red and black mask he was wearing. He was tall and muscular, made obvious by the matching red and black leather suit he was wearing. He looked back out the door and she noticed he was wearing two katanas slung on his back in addition to the guns on his belt. She felt a little dizzy.

He stretched in the doorway, and she heard his back crack. "Ooh, that was a good one. My ass is so numb. Do you have any idea how much it sucks to sit in a car for hours on end? Godammit…"

Rogue heard Remy chuckle. "As a matter of fact, I do, _homme._ Not on my list o' favorite t'ings to do."

There was a slight breeze, and Rogue jumped as she heard another man's voice at her right. She hadn't even seen this one come in. He was a little older looking than Remy, and he had short white hair. He tucked his hands into his pockets and snorted. "Quit your bitchin', you didn't actually have to drive. At least I drive fast."

The man in the red and black looked over at him. "Oh, sorry sir to demean your efforts to the cause. Next time I'm gutting someone in our way I'll stop and tell them what a superb automobile driver you are. We all know how hard it is to put a foot on a pedal."

Despite the situation, Rogue wanted to giggle as Remy and Sam laughed. The white haired man growled and looked like he was about to retort when a woman stepped into the house. The man in red and black moved aside for her. She had a sensual way about her with short black hair and she was wearing a black dress suit.

"Boys, play nice. We all hated traveling. But we got what we came for, so relax and take some time to yourselves." She said.

"Yes! Chuck-e-cheese, here we come. Do you have any tokens for our hard work? One per body?" The man in red and black asked. She turned to him. "Everybody but you. You stay by me. You're my bodyguard, they're my soldiers."

"Aw crap…" He muttered, putting his hands on his hips and looking down.

The woman looked away from him and her eyes landed on Rogue. She smirked and sauntered over to her. Rogue felt Remy's slight tensing.

"Its been a while since we've met, little girl. Two years? Oh, you don't recognize me, do you?" She bent down, looking Rogue straight in the eyes. As Rogue watched, the pale skin darkened and she gasped. The woman, who's skin had turned to a deep blue and hair a furious red, was smiling wider now. Oh, Rogue recognized her.

"Welcome to my team." Mystique purred.


End file.
